Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton…

Emily Haines is best known for her work in dance rockers Metric and her vocal contributions to the wonderful Broken Social Scene. This is her first step into solo waters. While members of both groups accompany Haines, it is her in the spotlight.. It shows as Knives Don’t Have Your Back has a much different sound. Most of the album is just Haines sweet vocals and a piano. It’s mainly a down-tempo affair that may take some time for fans of her other works to adapt to.

Knives Don’t Have Your Back is a frustrating listen overall. It is an album that simply requires patience. Whether Haines is singing about death or a frustration with life it remains a somber affair. While there are a few gems here, Knives Don’t Have Your Back struggles at times to get out of first gear. Haines vocals are as great as ever and her lyrics are clever and strikingly confessional. However, without her dancy backing band or the epic stylings of Broken Social Scene many of the songs here seem to get lost in their own melancholy.

Emily Haines is obviously a great talent and perhaps Knives Don’t Have Your Back will grow on me with more listens. For now though, the album is coming up a slight disappointment. I think I’ll stick to my Metric and Broken Social Scene records in the meantime. But, on a bright note the CD packaging here is absolutely gorgeous.